4 - Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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JACOB SMILOVITZ
EDITOR IN CHIEF
RACHEL VAN GILDER
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
MATT AARONSON
MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solelythe views of their authors.
Revamping research
'U' must incorporate student innovation at NCRC
A s one of Michigan's three major research universi-
ties, the University of Michigan is known for its excel-
lence in research. And the new 30-building North
Campus Research Complex is the newest addition to the Uni-
versity's research efforts. As the University administration has
acknowledged, test tubes and pipettes alone can't offer an institu-
tion international recognition. Last week, administration officials
unveiled their vision for future research at the NCRC, which will
focus on combining a variety of fields like medicine, engineering
and pharmaceuticals to promote growth and innovation. Univer-
sity researchers should work together, but they should also take
advantage of the original ideas that students can provide.
The percentage of
University research that
was funded by the federal
government in the fiscal
year of 2009.
- According to University'figures.
ANGELA CHIH E-MAIL ANGELA AT AHCHIH@UMICH.EDU
V
Get rea about the economy
Purchased from Pfizer for $108 million
last June, the more than 2 million-square-
foot NCRC will house administrative staff
and a diverse community of researchers.
According to a mass e-mail from Execu-
tive Vice President for Medical Affairs
and Health System CEO Dr. Ora Pescovitz,
the NCRC will be the testing ground of a
new research model that will emphasize
interdisciplinary research. The heart of
the new approach will be two technology
"anchors." One will focus on biointerfaces
and the other on medical imaging. These
anchors will be joined at the NCRC by
other, smaller interdisciplinary research
teams as well as currently separate groups
of health service researchers seeking to
make health care delivery more efficient
and accessible.
As recognized by the University, interdis-
ciplinary studies are the future of research.
Medical innovation, for instance, increas-
ingly requires a diverse team of medical
professionals and engineers to create tech-
nologies specifically designed to address
patients' needs. Such cross-discipline
coordination uses developments in nano-
technology and tissue engineering to com-
plement the work done by pharmacists and
the treatments being explored by clinicians.
This supportive research atmosphere rec-
ognizes that the best way to combat modern
challenges is to combine knowledge from a
variety of backgrounds.
The research explored under this model
will have important implications for the
poor economic condition of the state. A
recent study by the Anderson Economic
Group showed that the University Research
Corridor - a collaboration of Wayne State
University, Michigan State University and
the University of Michigan - contributed
to over $14 billion in economic benefit in
Michigan last year alone. Better methods
and more space will result in more fund-
ing that has an even greater impact on the
community and more importantly, the
state. Under the University's new research
model, this funding will be put to good use.
Yet as important as research is, the Uni-
versity shouldn't fail to take advantage
of the educational opportunities that the
NCRC affords. Student involvement in
research, from undergraduates to doctoral
candidates, is an integral component of an
educational experience at the University.
And students bring a fresh perspective and
innovative suggestions to research proj-
ects. This mutually beneficial relationship
gives the University an edge in research,
and University researchers should tap into
students' knowledge and ideas.
- The University's vision for research at
the NCRC is encouraging - cooperation
between researchers will lead to exciting
new developments. But to take advantage
of all its resources, University researchers
must use students' innovative spirit.
As a Daily columnist, .I've had
to get used to public criticism
of my opinions. When I write
about gay rights, for
instance, I expect
at least three angry
emails likening gay
marriage to polyg-
amy. And I'll admit
that I'm not always
a true expert on the
subjects on which I
write. But when it
comes to the econ- MATTHEW
omy, conservatives GREEN
have proven that
you don't need to
be an economist
to weigh in on the discussion. And,
though what I have to say will surely
rouse criticism from some readers, it's
time to get real about the economy.
The public debt currently stands at
just over $12.4 trillion, according to
the Bureau of Public Debt. That num-
ber takes into account the accumula-
tion of the national budget's yearly
deficits. Though people often correct-
ly cite surpluses under President Bill
Clinton, the overall public debt still
stood somewhere between $4 and 6
trillion under his administration, as a
sum of previous deficits. The debt he
left to his successor, President George
W. Bush, was $5.727 trillion.
Rather than slimming to a more
"conservative," budget, the day Presi-
dent George W. Bush left the White
House, he handed President Barack
Obama a debt of nearly $11 trillion.
Half of that was inherited, so I'll
ignore that. Of the other half, a small
fraction surely resulted from the
reduced tax revenue and increased
governmental precautions during
the recession. That may have been
unavoidable.
But Bush was adamant that slash-
ing taxes for the rich would create
trickle-down stimulus of the private
sector. So he .cut taxes, forcing the
government to deal with far less tax
revenue, effectively making it poorer.
Additionally, we entered into two
wars, which took a further toll on the
public pocketbook. Now Obama and
Congress must deal with all of the
above, which will cost a lot of money.
In addition, they have to focus on mas-
sive unemployment.
A basic measure proposed by
Democrats and widely supported by
economists is the stimulus package.
Congress passed one early last year at
a price of $787 billion. As a result, 2.4
million American jobs were saved or
created in 2009, accordingto the Con-
gressional Budget Office.
Yet conservatives say that spending
$787 billion was irresponsible when
the debt was already so large. But they
continue to support tax cuts, even
when the government is broke.
It may be confusing to understand
how spending can be a good thing
when the country has limited funds.
So think of it this way: the country is
like a college freshman in desperate
need of a student loan. In order to suc-
ceed in an increasingly competitive
global economy, that student needs
an education, but cannot pay for it by
himself. If he can't get a loan, he'll
have to quit school and work unsatis-
fying menial jobs for the restof his life.
But if he does get one, once he receives
his degree and gets a good paying job,
he'll be able to pay off his debt.
A stimulus package works just the
same way. Once it gets citizens back
on their feet, they pay the country
back by contributing to the GDP and
tax revenue. Though it adds to the
current public debt, it is unlike other
spending because it paves the way for
future government revenue.
And that brings me to my last point,
which may be the most controversial,
though it's probably the least complex.
Americans need to start paying more
taxes. There. I said it. Policymak-
ers and real economists will have to
decide whether these taxes are sales,
income, value-added or something
else. But the bottom line is that tax-
payers have been on a holiday that this
country can no longer afford. Pay-
ing higher taxes doesn't mean that
the country is, God, forbid, becoming
socialist. It just means that our coun-
try is hurting economically and it's
our civic duty to help out.
To balance debt,
Americans need to
paymore taxes.
So, to recap, we need more stimulus
and more taxes to get us out of the eco-
nomic mess we're in - which, it turns
out, was not Obama's fault. Yeah, I'm
trying to simplify things. And indeed,
I am unquestionably to the left - to a
fault, some will say. But ina sea of talk-
ing points and complex analyses, not to
mention populist conventions and con-
servative talk radio, the above points
are necessary to outline, even if I only
scratch the surface in this column.
But instead of barraging me with
attacks that I'm a just a dimwitted
liberal, if you're critical of what I've
said, I urge you to write a viewpoint
and submit it to the opinion page.
Bring it on.
- Matthew Green can be reached
at greenmat@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Nina Amilineni, Jordan Birnholtz, William Butler, Nicholas Clift,
Michelle DeWitt, Brian Flaherty, Jeremy Levy, Erika Mayer, Edward McPhee,
Emily Orley, Harsha Panduranga, Alex Schiff, Asa Smith, Brittany Smith,
Robert Soave, Radhika Upadhyaya, Laura Veith
Political dynasties
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU
Mledical Amnesty Actsaves out or injured person) does not become a health
tragedy. This bill is a matter of life and death
lives by reducing legal risk because, if not passed, it may not be reconsid-
ered until someone actually dies.
TO THE DAILY:
In his recent letter to the editor, Stephen
DeMare bases his opinion of the Medical Amnes-
ty Act on an ideal world that doesn't account
for the realities that exist on college campuses
throughout the United States and particularly
at the University (Medical Amnesty Act makes
irresponsibility acceptable, 02/17/2010). People at
this University consume alcohol in a safe man-
ner every night. Sometimes people do consume
too much, which is a risk we must prevent from
increasing. As a member of the Greek system, I
know that's one of the benefits of the sober moni-
tor system. It recognizes that people consume
alcohol at parties and tries toput the best meth-
ods in place to minimize alcohol-related risks.
As an EMT, I have seen first-hand why the
Medical Amnesty Act makes sense. Numerous
people I know have called me to tell me that
a friend passed out from drinking too much
and want to know if this friend needs to go to
a hospital. Sometimes my answer is that I've
consumed alcohol myself, so I can't legally give
that advice. This is incredibly difficult because
many of these intoxicated friends then have
two choices: do nothing and risk injury to the
passed out third-party friend or call for an
ambulance and risk an MIP.
This may sound like an easy choice, except
for the fact that intoxicated persons do not
think logically. That's why under state law
an intoxicated person cannot legally consent
or object to many things. Now consider if I'm
sober and go to see this passed out third-party.
If I say this person needs to go to a hospital, is
my intoxicated friend going to call an ambu-
lance or a taxi? When someone's pulse is 50 and
dropping the answer is obvious - but not to an
intoxicated person.
Consider a third option, though. Some peo-
ple may choose to illegally drive intoxicated to
bring their passed out friend to the hospital,
the worst of these three choices. The Medical
Amnesty Act providesprotection to minors
who bring a friend to the hospital to ensure
that someone who has a health risk (a passed
Andrew Rabenstein
LSA Senior
Fall '10 theme semester info
will be available online soon
TO THE DAILY:
We were glad to see a front page story on
the LSA Theme Semester (LSA theme year
focuses on Museums, 02/04/2010). A number
of students interviewed for the story indicated
that they were unaware of the current Theme
Semester on "Meaningful Objects: Museums
in the Academy."
As the organizers of next fall's Theme
Semester, we would like to take the opportu-
nity provided by your coverage to let readers
know that the Theme Semester for Fall 2010
will focus on "What Makes Life Worth Liv-
ing?" Among the theme-related events taking
place next fall will be the celebration of the
50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's speech
on the steps of the Michigan Union about what
would later become the Peace Corps, a talk by
noted author and early Peace Corps volunteer
Paul Theroux, the Tanner Lecture on Human
Values given by Martin Seligman, the leading
figure in the field of positive psychology, and a
talk and workshop led by Alissa Wilson, one of
the authors of "Practical Idealists: Changing
the World and Getting Paid."
A website with an events calendar, a list of
theme-related courses and details about other
activities that willibe part of the Theme Semes-
ter will be online in early March.
Anyone interested in learning more about
the Fall 2010 Theme Semester is invited to
contact us at whatmakeslifeworthliving@
umich.edu. We will also have a table at the LSA
Concentration/Cool Opportunities Fair in the
Michigan Union on March 17."
John Chamberlin and Christopher Peterson
Faculty
Last weekend, Democratic U.S.
Rep. John Dingell announced
his intention to run for a
28th term in the
U.S. House of
Representatives.
As the longest
serving House
member, Dingell
assumed office of
Michigan's 15th
Congressional
district, which
now includes Ann H
Arbor, in 1955.
That's the same KOSLOWSKI
year my parents
were born. Din-
gell replaced his
father, John Dingell Sr., who took
office in 1933, two years after my
grandma was born.
The 77-year Dingell family reign
in southeast Michigan politics dem-
onstrates something terribly wrong
in the way we elect our Congres-
sional leaders. Elected officials in
the legislative branch are allowed to
turn their stints in office into lifelong
careers. Political tenures that span
decades are one of the unhealthiest
influences in American politics. The
corruption, malaise and unfairness
they cause must be stopped through
the implementation of Congressional
term limits.
A February Gallup poll measured
Congressional job approval at 18
percent, a near record low. It's been
more than five years since Congress's
approval rating topped 50 percent.
Clearly, most Americans are fed up
with the body of government meant
to represent them. Rather than work-
ing together for the good of their con-
stituents, it's obvious to me that many
of our representatives are more con-
cerned about being reelected - but
who would blame them? With only
two-year terms, the U.S. House offers
very little job security unless repre-
sentatives are constantly planning
for the next election.
The House was structured to give
regular Americans the loudest voice
possible in Washington. It was sup-
posed to be a place where the "little
guy" could win office and ensure that
his or her district was properly rep-
resented. Well, if you wish the "little
guy" had less of a disadvantage in
winning a House seat, you should be
in favor of term limits.
It's no secret that incumbents have
obvious financial advantages in elec-
tions. Representatives enjoy salaries
of at least $174,000 a year. Each rep-
resentative has access to a federally
funded mail budget, often utilized
to send their constituents friendly
reminders of the politician's accom-
plishments in Washington. For many
representatives, it can top six figures
a year. Even in the sleepiest of dis-
tricts, it takes a huge chunk of change
to even consider a bid for Congres-
sional office. With their ex officio
benefits, many incumbents have an
advantage over their challengers.
If we capped representative tenure
at 10 years or fewer, we would ensure
a constant stream of new ideas into
Washington. Fresh voices would
help Congress's decisions more
closely reflect the will of the people.
The potential for corruption would
decrease because representatives
would have less time - and hopefully
less of a reason - to dabble in special
interest groups. Congresspersons
would have less incentive to make
careers from their elections and
instead have increased motivation to
make their mark on Washington in
the time they have.
Right now, the Congressional sys-
tem rewards career politicians. Only
those with several terms of expe-
rience can become party leaders,
Speaker of the House or leaders of
committees. I'll admit, I think some
experience is a good thing. I wouldn't
want the Speaker, who is third in
line to the Presidency, to be a first
term representative. But, I think the
amount of experience gained drops
off significantly after only a few
years. Does Dingell's 32 years of addi-
tional experience really make him a
better or more effective representa-
tive than House Speaker Nancy Pelo-
si (D-Calif.)? I don't think so.
Dingells' longevity
in Congress needs
to come to an end. 0
Term limits would diversify House
leaders, so newcomers would have
more of a chance to assume impor-
tant roles. Rather than the same old
guard holding the positions of power
year after year, newly elected repre-
sentatives would have more influ-
ence. Today, some small states with
fewer representatives rely on long-
serving officials to amplify their voic-
es in Congress. The establishment
of term limits wouldn't hurt these
states because many leadership posi-
tions would have to be filled by more
recently elected representatives.
Speaking to University Demo-
crats last Saturday, Dingell chastised
Wall Street for engaging in "greedy
behavior that sent our nation into
an economic tailspin." In the wan-
ing months of his latest term, Dingell
should take a serious look at his own
greed. Instead of seeking reelection,
Dingell should focus on enacting
Congressional term limits. After 55
years, isn't it time someone else had
a shot?
- Chris Koslowski can be
reached at cskoslow@umich.edu.
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